Brought to you by Pearle Vision and TheCo

“Mommy is the eye doctor going to poke my eyes?” my son asked hesitantly as we got closer to the date of our eye exam*. “Of course not,” I assured him. “They are just going to take a look at your eyes and mommy is getting her eyes checked too, so we can all go together.”

Our son just turned three this year, which means that it has been a year of firsts for him; the first time visiting the dentist, the first year of pre-school and, most recently, the first time getting his eyes checked. As new parents, one of the things my husband and I try to do now that our kids are getting old enough to understand, is to lead by example. We find that by doing things with our kids, like going to the dentist or the eye doctor, it takes a lot of the fear and uncertainty out of the situation, which helps put them at ease.

That’s why when we booked our eye exam at Pearle Vision for our oldest; we booked one for me as well so he could see that mommy was getting her eyes checked too. We love for him to see us doing things like getting regular check-ups, brushing our teeth or reading on a regular basis and find that it makes things a little easier than just simply telling him he has to do something.

My husband and I both wear glasses and contacts, so getting our eyes checked is an important part of our lives.  When it was time to get my eyes checked, I needed new glasses and wanted to update my prescription for my contact lenses, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to take along our three-year-old for his first eye appointment.  We took him to Pearle Vision for an eye exam and we were so happy about the overall experience!

One of the things we loved most about our visit to Pearle Vision was how comfortable everyone made us feel. The eye doctor educated us on everything as she was doing the exams, explaining what was happening to both my son and I, which made me feel very at ease. In addition to that, all of the eye-care experts were thorough and asked a lot of questions to be sure that we were getting exactly what we needed for our lifestyle. For example, I wear contacts most of the time, and in order to be sure that I was getting the right type of lenses for my particular needs they asked me about my lifestyle; how often I wear them and what I am doing the most when I wear them. She also made our son feel very comfortable in the examination chair, making the experience quick and accurate while giving him high fives along the way to encourage him. He felt so proud when he left the office and we were happy to hear that his eyes looked great and he didn’t need glasses.

Finally, I too left feeling great! I was so pleased with my choice of glasses and the new sense of confidence they gave me. While shopping in store for lenses, I explained to the eye care experts that I don’t often wear my glasses as I don’t always feel confident in them, and they spent a lot of time with me; helping me choose a pair of glasses that not only fit well, but made me feel confident. Pearle Vision offers a large selection of quality frames, including name brands like; Ray-Ban, Oakley, Coach, Ralph Lauren, Versace and with them offering 40% off lenses and free lenses for Kids, right now I embraced the trendier pair of Versace lenses and I am excited to start wearing them more!

With back-to-school season just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to get your kids’ eyes checked. Pearle Vision offers convenient online bookings, you can find a location near you here and they directly bill your insurance company making for a lot less paper work when you go in for your visit.

For my husband and I, eye exams are a fairly regular and simple thing, but we know that firsts can be tough for little ones and getting them into good habits like brushing their teeth, reading daily or getting their eyes checked is something that they need to learn from us. We are so happy that our son’s first experience with the eye doctor was a positive one and hope that with leading by example we can help make many of his firsts equally as enjoyable.

*Eye exams arranged.